History of Alchemy 3rd Edition 2021

Paracelsus

embarked on a great peregrination. others – maybe his students and admirers – and

Parts of his travels entered conjecture, he never used it in writing (his extant works

legend and myth, with some writers show this). Paracelsus references the 1st century

taking him as far as Arabia and Egypt. Roman physician, Celsus, with the added ‘para’ –

Others wrote how Paracelsus picked up meaning beyond – demonstrating his superiority.

AiPna1fr9lautcehen-lccseeundstuiennryghriRasovsmitnuagdnyitmica- gining arcane and esoteric knowledge from There is also the theory the name was coined
the Iberian Peninsula (though this
chronology is disputed). What isn’t by one of Theophrastus’ enemies. It didn’t work,
disputed is that during this period,
as Paracelsus had such a ring to it, any negative
Theophrastus began to develop an intense
association was dissipated in the years after, when
loathing and dissatisfaction with thinkers of the
a small cult developed around his teachings in the
time. “Because you are ignorant of Alchemy,
17th century.
you are ignorant of Nature: and because you
A memorial statue
are ignorant of Nature, you are ignorant of the to Paracelsus in
Salzburg, Austria,
Healing Art,” he opined. where he lived and

worked for a time

In 1526-27 Paracelsus returned to Basel, where

he became the town physician and occasional

lecturer at the university. His time at Basel

was contentious, full of outrage, provocations

against those he despised (namely professors

A Paracelsus biopic was made and other doctors not on his wavelength) and
in Germany, during the days cemented his status as medicine’s number one
of the Third Reich (1943) agent provocateur. As part of his eagerness

Consumed by his work, he lived for chemistry to learn, one of the first things Paracelsus did

and the study of disease, with no time for social was put up a notice in town declaring all were

niceties and courtesies. Paracelsus was so full of welcome at his lectures. He gave them in German,

self-confidence, he thought nothing of screaming not in the standard Latin, breaking with the

and shouting at aristocrats and royalty, especially elitist orthodoxy of the period. In one notorious

when they fobbed him off without payment after incident, he advertised a talk on the elixir of life

treatment, thinking he was a diabolical mage (an alchemist’s obsession) and would reveal – he

rather than a pioneering medicine man. Paracelsus declared – the source of all creation. An uproar

was by all accounts a grump, a grouch, and a occurred when he began to discuss the chemical

man with zero interest in women. His life’s desire processes in the putrefaction process (using

was to break through the walls of convention dung) to show how excrement can birth life.

and learning. While crusty dullards and dolts His use of chemistry, and ascribing chemical

ignored evidence and advancements, processes to the wonders of the body,

Paracelsus relied on his rich shocked students and other

life experiences and time DEFINING professors to the core. Yet
spent abroad, as well as MOMENT people flocked from all
years as an army surgeon. corners of Europe to hear

He was more than willing A mysterious end Paracelsus speak. Images source: Getty, Wiki
to talk with vagrants Having been sent
as he was with Having moved to Salzburg under the auspices packing from Basel
fellow travellers in of Duke Ernst of Bavaria, Paracelsus fell due to constant
the field of alchemy. uproars over his
He made no distinction mysteriously ill in the late summer of 1541 and
between classes, so long as died on 24 September at the White Horse Inn, teachings and occult
he was gleaning valuable having gathered the city’s public notary and activities, Theophrastus
information from people. “I six witnesses on 21 September to read his will wandered once more,
settling down here and
and testament. He gave instructions to be
buried at Saint Sebastian’s church.

24 Sept 1541

have not been ashamed to there, working as a physician

learn from tramps, butchers by day and experimenting

and barbers,” he once wrote. His willingness and writing by night (including The Great

to hang out with the lower born led authorities Surgery Book, 1536, and a pioneering treatise

in Salzburg into throwing him out of the city, on illnesses and diseases suffered by miners).

as they believed he was conspiring with – and In his lifetime, Paracelsus was as

encouraging – peasants to revolt. mocked and ridiculed as he was

After picking up his doctorate from the celebrated. The name ‘Paracelsus’

University of Ferrara, Italy, Theophrastus was probably given to him by

101

Alkahest

AmpPbrhy1ao6inPcltoueahsssr-oasccpecreieshnpletfstourul’rrassycyStriaotenolacgbntheieone,uamgbltketitachlhiaheeelevsetd

Amgrerpaecnaaipgtueesssccfirfreoiopnrmtts,ioswItslvhaweaenrcriettNseteshawneabdtoonu’ts A portrait of Paracelsus, who
references alkahest coined the term ‘alkahest’,
drawn by the famous artist
102 Hans Holbein the Younger

Alkahest

Alkahest

The semi-mythical solvent Paracelsus believed to be
the culmination of the practice of alchemy

Written by Paul Walker-Emig

T he concept of the substance believed that it was this substance itself that was
known within alchemy as the Stone, the secret of which alchemists had been
alkahest is usually attributed searching for so long. This resonated with long-
to the 16th-century alchemist held ideas that the Philosopher’s Stone represented

Paracelsus, born in Switzerland the ‘first matter’, from which every other element

as Philipus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus derived. It would seem to make sense that this

von Hohenheom. This idea was built on the matter, which had the ability to create, also had the

work of alchemists that came before him, who capacity to destroy, or at least cleanse matter into

placed a lot of focus on breaking down metals its purest form.

and other substances in the search for the elusive It’s worth nothing that while alkahest was often

Philosopher’s Stone – the, obscure, mythical talked about as a theoretical or hypothetical

knowledge that they believed to be the substance, the likes of Paracelsus went

key to transmutation, or the ability as far as penning a recipe for its

to turn common metals to gold. creation. Caustic lime (calcium

For Paracelsus, alkahest was Paracelsus is oxide), alcohol and carbonate of

the name of the substance said to have been potash (potassium carbonate)
key to that process. It was the inspired by Arabic were the ingredients to create
name he gave to a solvent words including ‘alkali’ his version of the solvent.
capable of dissolving any when he invented the
substance with which it came Paracelsus believed that
into contact. This, of course, word ‘alkahest’ alkahest also had medicinal
properties, advocating adding

begs the inevitable question a small amount to wine as a

as to how alkahest could ever be means to heal illness or perhaps

contained? Alchemists such as George even extend life.

Starkey (also known by the pseudonym The 17th-century Flemish alchemist

Eirenaeus Philalethes) answered this by clarifying Franciscus Mercurius van Helmont was a later

that the substance would, in fact, only dissolve advocate of alkahest and the work of Paracelsus.

Images source: Wiki, Alamy compounds into their constituent parts. An alloy He too was concerned with the dissolution of

composed of copper and gold, for example, would materials into their constituent parts, viewing

be dissolved into pure copper and pure gold. alkahest as a vital tool that, in his view, did indeed

Rather than seeing alkahest as a means for have the power to reduce any material into its

discovering the Philosopher’s Stone, Paracelsus prime matter.

103

The Magnum Opus

The
Magnum Opus

If you look closely, the stages involved in the Great Work of transmutation
also double as an allegory for spiritual transformation…

Written by Poppy-Jay Palmer

T he Philosopher’s Stone may be and rubedo, a reddening, purpling or iosis. As time
the stuff of legend, but like all has passed, the stages have been both narrowed
alchemical substances it has an and widened. Following the 15th century, many
origin. The Great Work, or Magnum alchemists and philosophers began to compress the
Opus in the original Latin, is a citrinitas and rubedo stages into one, while others
added a fifth stage, caudal pavonis, which translates
term used within the tradition for the process of to ‘peacock’s tail’, to describe transmutations that
feature an array of colours.
working with the first matter, or prima materia, to
Seemingly wanting to make the Magnum
create the Stone. The term has long been attached Opus even more complicated, some alchemical
authors expanded the simple colour model by
to laboratory processes and chemical colour enumerating a variety of chemical steps, like the
‘recipe’ presented by the famed Emerald Tablet.
changes within alchemy, but through being carried However, steps among different alchemists
were rarely consistent, and each used different
forward in New Age and neo-Hermetic movements documents to justify the stages. George Ripley, one
of England’s most famous alchemists in the 16th
it has also gained a great deal of symbolism and century, included 12 different gates in his work:
calcination, solution (or dissolution), separation,
spiritual significance. conjunction, putrefaction, congelation, cibation,
sublimation, fermentation, exaltation, multiplication
As well as describing physical transmutation and projection. English country gentleman and
alchemist Samuel Norton went a few further,
processes, the Magnum Opus can also including 14 stages.

be interpreted as an allegory for spiritual The idea of a Magnum Opus has influenced
more than just alchemists. Even today, the term
transformation. It is often used as a model for the is regularly used to describe a masterpiece in
art, literature, the culinary arts and beyond, like
principle for individuation, the philosophy Michelangelo’s The Creation Of Adam or Charles
Dickens’ David Copperfield.
that expresses the idea of how a thing

Symbols used is identified as an individual thing
to represent the that is not something else, and how
Magnum Opus in individual people are held to be
alchemy include distinct from other people and
elements in the world around them.

ravens, swans and The original philosophy of the

phoenixes Magnum Opus was made up of four
stages, and its origins can be traced

back to as far as the 1st century: nigredo, a

blackening or melanosis; albedo, a whitening

or leucosis; citrinitas, a yellowing or xanthosis;

104

The Magnum Opus

The term ‘magnus opus’ is now used to describe any great
work within a specified field, such as art or literature.
Michelangelo’s The Creation Of Adam is an example

Images source: Getty, Wiki

English Augustinian canon
and alchemist George Ripley
included 12 different stages
his 15th-century work in

The Magnum Opus is a term
used to describe the process
of working with prima materia
to create the legendary
Philosopher’s Stone

105

John Dee

Occultist, mathematician, philosopher or spy: what
lurked beneath the man who spanned the gap
between magic and science?

Written by Willow Winsham

T he London-born John Dee was volatile political climate of the time to that of Image source: Alamy
actually of Welsh descent, his family conjuring and witchcraft. Despite the potentially
having made a place for themselves fatal situation, Dee was eventually cleared of all
in the capital after the accession of charges, and emerged as household chaplain to
a fellow Welshman, Henry VII, to Edmund Bonner, Bishop of London.
the English throne. Over the years, the young
and ambitious Dee invented a lineage that was Upon the accession of Elizabeth I in 1558, Dee’s
far grander than his true humble beginnings, fortunes appeared to be improving. The new
claiming a family connection with various Welsh monarch was said to have chosen her coronation
princes, and even suggesting descent from the date based on a horoscope that Dee had cast
fabled King Arthur himself. for her and he was generally held in favour by
Dee gained his Bachelor’s degree in 1545 the Queen. Despite this seemingly auspicious
from Cambridge. During his time at university, start and the connection he had with Elizabeth
he had his first brush with the occult, in the throughout his life, Dee had a fluctuating career
form of alchemical studies, and came across and he never achieved the level of patronage and
the mathematical concepts that would become recognition that he felt was his due.
the basis of many of his later ideas. By the
time he left university for good, he had already By the 1560s, the mystically inclined Dee had
established something of a reputation in this area, fully embraced the occult and arcane, and in
though this did not stop him from taking Holy 1564 he produced a work titled The Hieroglyphic
Orders in 1554. Monad, exploring the meaning of a glyph that he
Trouble erupted in 1555 when Dee was himself had created. Ever hopeful, he dedicated
engaged by Queen Mary Tudor to use his already the decidedly dense text to Holy Roman Emperor
established skills to see what lay in store for Maximilian II, though again it did not bring the
herself and her half-sister, Princess Elizabeth. He rewards Dee had hoped for. More success came
found himself in hot water when on 28 May, he from his attempts to have references to himself
and his associates were arrested on suspicion as a conjuror removed from Foxe’s highly popular
of magic, a charge that rapidly escalated in the work, Acts And Monuments: the critical comments
were removed from later editions of the text,
though his reputation in the wider world could

106

John Dee

“Dee had a fluctuating
career and he never
achieved the level of
patronage that he felt
was his due”

DEFINING
MOMENT

Arrested for sorcery

In the politically perilous times when the
succession was far from certain, Dee found
himself imprisoned for magical dabbling that
could be interpreted as treason when he created
horoscopes for Queen Mary I, her husband Philip
of Spain and Princess Elizabeth. Torture was
authorised to be used against him, though

it is unclear whether Dee was actually
subjected to the rack.

1555

107

DEFINING

MOMENT Dee’s relationship with Elizabeth I attracted much
attention, but never brought Dee the recognition he craved

not be changed Writing of The when Dee wrote to Dee finally settled on the unlikely choice of
quite so easily. Hieroglyphic Monad William Cecil, Lord convicted criminal Edward Kelley.
Treasurer to Elizabeth
Dee was also Dee produced many works throughout his life, I. Dee apparently claimed Their attempts were deemed successful, and Dee
vociferous in his to have knowledge of fully believed that, through Kelley, they had made
support of English covering mathematics, philosophy and the contact with angels. These communications were

occult, but it was this work, written in 12 days,

that was considered most important by his

contemporaries and continues to intrigue and

confuse readers today. This work is taken

expansion in the New as evidence of the link between Dee hidden treasure in the Welsh meticulously recorded by Dee. Despite his links
World, and he devoted and Rosicrucian ideas. Marches, hinting at his ability with the occult, he was a devout Christian, and
much time and effort to to recover it... for the right prayer and fasting played a large role in his spiritual
1564

this cause, attempting to patron, that is. communications. His motives were also not,

boost England’s claims over The 1580s saw Dee into his arguably, entirely selfish – he believed, apparently

those of Spain in the continuing battle fifties and signalled a change of direction, wholeheartedly, that what he was learning through

for supremacy over the territory. In 1577 he as he finally acknowledged his disappointment Kelley and the angels would be profitable to the

published General And Rare Memorials Pertaining about his lack of advancement. As such, Dee entire human race.

To The Perfect Art Of Navigation, outlining his switched his attentions even more fully towards Kelley was not the only questionable individual

ambitious ideas regarding England’s developing the occult, and it was now that he devoted himself to whom Dee was drawn in his lifetime; it was

empire. As was the case with so many of his to communicating with spirits and angels. For during this decade that Dee, at the behest of Albert

visions, however, the majority of his ideas in this this work he required a partner skilled in the art Leski, a Polish nobleman, was induced to uproot

area were not adopted. of crystal gazing to act as go-between for the two his family, along with Kelley, and move to Poland.

A great lover of books, Dee turned his attentions worlds and, after impressing him at an audition, The whole situation soon fell apart, as it transpired

to developing a private library in his Mortlake

home. He expanded it into a great wonder, “He believed… that what he was learning
including many texts of an occult nature, and through Kelley and the angels would be
it was known as one of the leading libraries in
Europe and the largest personally owned library in

England during his lifetime. Dee’s great fascination profitable to the entire human race”
of the occult coupled with a burning desire for

greater recognition was again made clear in 1574,

108

John Dee

Dtheee’oscncaumlt einhtahsebceeenntuinreiexstrsiicnacbelyhliisndkeeadthto

A memorial plaque for Dee, hung inside St Dee and Kelley, summoning the
Mary the Virgin Mortlake in 2013 dead to reveal their secrets

that Leski didn’t have a penny to his name and for his intellectual abilities, there was an ever- religious environment to which he returned was
also not very welcoming, the tide having turned
was even further from favour at his native court present sense of suspicion from the monarchs that against the occult beliefs that Dee held so dear
and leaving him with even less hope of gaining
than Dee felt at his own. Instead of returning he approached. favour. Despite this he was granted the role of
warden at Christ’s College, Manchester in 1595,
home however, Dee, with the ever-present Kelley As the decade neared an end, relations between but the 68-year-old Dee didn’t manage to properly
benefit even here as he was not held in any great
and their families, embarked upon a tour Kelley and Dee began to deteriorate. This was respect by those he kept watch over. He also came
under fire for his involvement with the exorcist
of Europe. They continued their angelic not helped by the younger man – Kelley was craze that gripped the capital around that time,
and for his apparent connection to disgraced
communications (indeed it nearly 30 years Dee’s junior – Puritan exorcist John Darrell, as well as claims of
fraudulent possession. All of this meant that any
had been the angels that told announcing that one of their hopes of further promotion or advancement were
completely dashed by the end of the affair.
them, according to Kelley, DEFINING angel communicators had
to go to Poland with Leski MOMENT declared that the men must Rumours still persist to this day, but it is highly
in the first place). The pair share everything in common unlikely that Dee was a member of the Rosicrucian
Order, and in fact there is no hard evidence that the
attempted to interest some Meeting Edward Kelley – including, much to Dee’s Order even existed during Dee’s lifetime.
great names in their consternation – their
work with angels, Dee’s relationship with Kelley defined a large wives. Although it Dee fared little better when James I followed
holding an audience portion of his life, the younger man facilitating appears that this Elizabeth on the throne, and the new monarch was
with Emperor Dee’s desire to explore angelic communication arrangement was not interested in supporting the famed occultist.
Rudolf II and King and leading him deeper into the world of the entered into, Dee and Dee went on to live out his years in poverty, selling
Stefan Báthory of Poland. occult. Several texts were ‘dictated’ by the angels the remnants of his possessions to make ends
Even here Dee lost out; through Kelley and faithfully recorded by Dee, Kelley parted company meet, and died in c.1609 at Mortlake, under the
not long afterwards – though care of his daughter Katherine.
which provided valuable insights into their
work together.

while he focused on angelic 1582 there continues to be some Images source: Wiki, Alamy, Thinkstock
communication, Kelley’s dispute as to the parentage of

skill at alchemy saw his the child born nine months

eventual appointment as chief later to Dee’s third wife.

alchemist to the Emperor. His long absence from home had serious

It was this time in Europe that helped consequences. The house at Mortlake was in

promote Dee’s lingering reputation as a spy in the a sorry state due to vandalism, and his precious

pay of Elizabeth I. Despite being greatly respected library had been ransacked. The political and

109

An alchemist’s laboratory

An alchemist’s
laboratory

A sanctuary for seekers of Chemicals
the Philosopher’s Stone
16th-17th century Alchemists regularly used
Europe mercury, sulphur, bile, potable
gold, vinegar and salt to
Few scientific disciplines defined the dissolve, separate, purify and
complexity of the Renaissance as much as recombine chemicals. The use
alchemy, an area where philosophy, science, of elements like mercury in
theology and magic came together. The medicines often proved fatal.
tradition dates back to Hellenistic Egypt,
where ancient alchemists attempted to create
artificial gemstones and turn base metals
into gold and silver. By the Middle Ages,
the practice had spread to Europe, where
theologians encouraged its reconciliation with
Christianity. It was believed that minerals
and other substances could affect the human
body – if the secret of purifying gold could be
learned, then the technique could be used to
purify the soul and gain entry to Heaven.

With the birth of the Renaissance,
alchemy became an entrepreneurial pursuit,
with many receiving large payouts from
the nobility for their medical services, the
production of precious metals, and, of course,
the ‘elixir of life’. Fraudsters began to cash
in on the craze, using magicians’ tricks and
misdirection to ‘create’ gold in order to attract
sponsorship and court favour. Those who
were exposed were imprisoned, tortured
or executed, and some were punished
for witchcraft and devil worshipping in
particularly gruesome ways.

But it wasn’t just the alchemists themselves
who suffered from their science. Customers
seeking cures for their ailments were often
treated with metals like mercury and lead,
with fatal outcomes.

110

An alchemist’s laboratory

Oratory

Before beginning any
new experiment, it was
important that the alchemist
sought the approval and
assistance of God, who they
believed held the secret to
the elixir of life. Theology
and science became deeply
intertwined during the
Renaissance.

Athanor Musical table

Once filled with coal, this furnace Music was sacred to alchemists.
could run for a long period of It was believed to prevent
time without any supervision, negative thoughts and protect
allowing alchemists to carry out against evil spirits that
lengthy transformations that threatened to impinge on their
could take up to 40 weeks. At a work. Alchemists also believed
time when many were persecuted, that the vibrations produced
it also enabled them to perform by musical instruments could
alchemical experiments cause chemical changes.
inconspicuously.
111
© Adrian Mann

Basil Valentine: Monk and alchemist

Basil Valentine:
Monk and alchemist

Whether a man or a myth, many today still believe that the works attributed to
Basil Valentine enshrine the secrets of the Philosopher’s Stone

Written by Dee Dee Chainey

A woodcut by Matthaeus Merian
(1618) illustrating the first key,
from an alchemical text attributed
to the philosopher, The Twelve
Keys of Basil Valentine

112

Basil Valentine: Monk and alchemist

Many today can still recognise
some of the symbols included
in the Twelve Keys. Here we see
the caduceus of Hermes and the

astrological Mercury symbol

Many later scientists and
philosophers have studied
the works of Basil Valentine,
including Isaac Newton
according to some sources

B asil Valentine, or Basilius theory is more believable when considering that stage in the processes of achieving its creation and
Valentinus, as he was originally a knowledge of mining, metals and chemistry is illustrated accordingly.
known before the name was evident in these texts, and Thölde himself wrote a
anglicised, is a murky figure The language of the text itself is covert and
shrouded in complex volume on salt extraction in his own only decipherable by someone skilled in the
right entitled Haligraphia. Many alchemical arts. Lists of ingredients required are

mystery. Like many esoteric now believe that Thölde was given, yet the names regularly changed to befuddle

authors, it remains unknown indeed an author of the works of the uninitiated and keep the book’s secrets

whether he was indeed a man Valentine Basil Valentine, attributing the closed to the ignorant reader. Some suggest this
in his own right, or if his name knew his first five of his books to him, linguistic trickery mirrors the transmutation of the
was merely a pseudonym science, providing yet he was only one of many ingredients themselves, as they would change in
for a collection of authors explanations of how to the alchemical process.
from a later date, with make hydrochloric that used the name.
the name being added long In 1599 Thölde published A number of modern scholars have attempted
to decode the stages. Some suggest that they do
an alchemical text entitled

after the writings themselves and sulphuric acid The Twelve Keys of Basil indeed reflect actual laboratory techniques that

came into being. Valentine. This work is said to could be used and explain possible results, while

Nevertheless, the figure has portray the technical aspects other depictions reveal alchemical theories. Overall,

gone down in history as one of alchemy, albeit symbolically the work still remains a mystery.

of the most famous Hermetic in pictures, paired with allegorical Works attributed to Basil Valentine have now

philosophers of 15th-century Germany, text. The beginning of this work focuses on been translated into many languages, including

while some argue for a 17th-century date. Many the search for the elusive Philosopher’s Stone. The English, French and Russian, and they are widely

have speculated about his identity. Some suggest second is split into 12 parts, each representing a available in the public domain.

he might have been Canon of the Benedictine

Priory of Saint Peter in Erfurt, Germany. Others

argue that this name was never mentioned prior “The language of the text itself is covert and
to the year 1600.

Today, many believe that the author of works only decipherable by someone skilled in Images source: Wiki
attributed to Valentine was in fact a Thuringian the alchemical arts”
salt manufacturer named Johann Thölde who
lived at the turn of the 17th century. Indeed, this

113

Rosicrucianism
declined in

popularity during the
17th century due to the
European intellectual

movement, the
Enlightenment

This emblematic image of
the Invisible College of the
Rosy Cross emerged in 1618

114

Rosicrucianism

Rosicrucianism

When ancient manifestos telling of a secret
brotherhood emerged after being ‘hidden’ for

decades, a new spiritual movement began

Written by David Crookes

E urope in the early 17th century was they apparently shed light on a supposedly secret to in the text), was said to have studied under
not a happy place. It was a continent brotherhood that no-one had heard of before. secret Arabian masters of the occult arts, and he is
marked by religious divisions and understood to have built up an enviable knowledge
political strife which would escalate From that point on, you can take much of the of physics, mathematics, magic, and Kabbalah.
origin story with a pinch of salt. For while the
English philosopher,
into the bloody Thirty Years’ War that first of these manifestos, the Fama Fraternitatis scientist, statesman
and author Francis
led to eight million lives being lost. of the Meritorious Order of the Rosy Cross, was a Bacon is alleged to
have had
At the same time, it was a period revelation to all who read or learned about it, connections with
Rosicrucianism
of great change. During the it was heralded as a hoax, a joke or mere

century, modern philosophy allegory, depending on the interpretation,

and science emerged Key to almost from the start. But that’s not to
thanks to impressive Rosicrucianism is the say it didn’t have many followers or
thinkers such as believers, or that it wasn’t legitimate.

Newton and Descartes. belief that followers are Quite the opposite. It was viewed

But were these men party to life-changing as another path to enlightenment, Images source: Getty
also members of the secrets that originated and many saw it as a way forward
spiritual movement for intellectual, social, religious and
Rosicrucianism? Some in ancient times political reform.

have said so but, alas, we The Fama Fraternitatis told of a poor

may never know. German doctor and mystic philosopher

There are a great many stories called Christian Rosenkreuz who, it was

and myths about Rosicrucianism, claimed, had travelled across Damascus, Egypt

not least those that surround its origins. What and Morocco towards Jerusalem at the turn of the

we know to be true, however, is that in 1614 in 15th century in a bid to learn the occult secrets of

the Holy Roman Empire state of Hesse-Kassel, the universe, obtain true wisdom and discover the

located in present-day Germany, the first of two elixir of life.

anonymously published manifestos was published Over the course of his journey, Rosenkreuz

that would cause a huge stir – not least because (or Father Brother C.R.C as he was referred

115

Rosicrucianism The tree of knowledge of good and
evil, taken from Figure segrete dei
Rosacroce (Secret Symbols of the
Rosicrucians), 1785

When he returned to Germany in 1407, he felt The claim that this was found in a

able and compelled to impart what he had learned, perfect state of preservation 120 years

but it was claimed that he was ridiculed by the later in 1604 was merely a signal for

literati. Instead, he founded the Rosicrucian Order, general reformation, according to Dame

or Order of the Rose Cross, and initially shared his Frances Yates, author of The Rosicrucian

The symbol of the knowledge with three receptive doctors. Two years Enlightenment. She says the opening of
Rose Cross
later, Rosenkreuz went on to build a sanctuary the vault symbolised the opening of a
The Rose Cross, otherwise known as the
Rosy Cross, was said to have been created called the House of the Holy Spirit, where the door in Europe and it was to lead to a new
by Christian Rosenkreuz, the founder of
Rosicrucianism. But since we know Rosenkreuz followers of the Order – who by now age of understanding. This displayed
to be fictional, we can suppose it was actually
the work of whoever produced the manifestos numbered eight – would meet parallels with Christianity. Indeed,
that underpinned the movement.
every year on the same day. Johann the Lutheran theologian Johann
It takes the Christian symbol of the cross and Each of those men were Valentin Valentin Andreae is said to
embeds it with a rose at its centre, and it clearly Andreae, who wrote have written the manifestos
marries well with Christian Rosenkreuz’s name. understood to be good The Chymical Wedding himself, although that
What it actually symbolises is open to debate, doctors, determined to is disputed and a question
although some posit that the cross represents heal the sick for free.
the human body and the rose the unfolding
consciousness of individuals. They agreed to wear of Christian Rosenkreuz, that will perhaps never

The Rose Cross has also come to represent only the dress of the said Rosicrucianism be resolved.
silence and salvation for some, while others country they were in, was an object Andreae did write an
see it as symbol of human reproduction being to continue the Order by of fun
elevated to the spiritual, with the rose being finding someone worthy odd alchemical romance called
female and the cross male. The Chymical Wedding of Christian

Such is its power and attractiveness, it to succeed themselves after Rosenkreuz in 1616, however, and it too
came to be used by more modern groups such
as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, death, and to ensure that the proved very influential. Again, there were
an organisation which was devoted to the
study and practice of the occult from 1887 to Fraternity would remain a closely guarded secret references of sorts to Christianity, not least in
1903. It still forms part of the emblems of the
Rosicrucian Fellowship and the Ancient Mystical for 100 years. the division of the story into Seven Days,
Order Rosae Crucis, or AMORC.
But while it was suggested that Rosenkreuz much like Genesis. There is also a nod
The colour of the rose
which sits upon the cross himself had scribed the words, squirrelling the to the Father of Lights – a phrase that
has alternated between
red, gold and white resulting manuscript away only for it be discovered appears in the Book of James in the King

116 later, only fundamentalists really took it literally James Bible along with nine Lords – and

or believed the man actually existed. The rest saw it is no coincidence there are nine books

Fama Fraternitatis as an allegorical manuscript,

although some have also come to believe that the

Order of the Rose Cross may have been a disguise

for another secret movement.

In any case, the point of Rosicrucianism was

that it shed light on an ancient world order,

blending science, alchemy, arts and mysticism

with an emphasis on acquired knowledge as a way

for mankind to move forward. Like Kabbalah, it

pointed to one truth, told via the use of various

symbols, parables and metaphors.

Fama Fraternitatis explored philosophy, religion

and ethics, and this was furthered in the second

manifesto, Confessio Fraternitatis (The Confessio)

in 1615, which not only explicitly stated it was

communicating “by parables” but said Rosenkreuz’s

knowledge had been imparted to him by angels

and spirits.

It cemented the esoteric order in the minds of

many, and the fact that they were “concealed from

the average man” and able to “provide insight into

nature, the physical universe and the spiritual

realm” helped to make them feel important. There

was comfort in the belief that the movement

heavily pre-dated contemporary times, even if it

did not. Adding to the mystery was the claim that

Brother Rosenkreuz was laid to rest in his own

sanctuary in 1484 aged 106 – a vault said to contain

many treasures and to be lit by an inner sun.

The grave of Christian the
Rosenkreuz, depicted as

Philosophers’ Mountain

Rosicrucianism

in the New Testament. So while deemed revelatory. There is an attraction in

Andreae said his work was “ludibrium” believing the Rosicrucians are operating invisibly

(an object of fun), the parts that contained and have the secret and power to put things right.

hints to the origins of Rosicrucianism This concept is what is said to have led to the

were clear. formation of the Invisible College, which became

Reuben Clymer, a former Supreme a precursor group to the Royal Society of London.

Grand Master of the Fraternitas Rosae Rosicrucian principles steered people towards a utopian

Crucis and author of The Rosy Cross: world populated by enlightened people spreading good

Its Teachings, published in 1965, and sharing knowledge of the arts and natural

said the Fama Fraternitatis science. The Invisible College followed

also combined many Maier’s the teaching that knowledge
concepts and esoteric can be disseminated among

ideas, drawing upon Silentium Post learned men gathering in

symbolism and Clamores claimed secret groups.
Paracelsian principles. Rosicrucianism to Freemasonry was said
Paracelsus pioneered be drawn from an
aspects of the medical eternal philosophy to be an outgrowth of
revolution of the Renaissance, Rosicrucianism. Indeed,
and Rosicrucians would study underlying all the English essayist
Thomas De Quincey

his Prognostications. Meanwhile, the religions believed the movement
Rosicrucian Michael Maier, who influenced Freemasonry when

died in 1622, said: “Our origins are it arrived in England. Prominent

Egyptian and Samothrace, the Magi of Rosicrucian Elias Ashmole joined the

Persia, the Pythagoreans and the Arabs.” Freemasonry on 16 October 1646 and, in 1750, there

Such deep inspiration and a was a reference to English Freemasons having

revelatory world view won the copied some Rosicrucian ceremonies.

movement many followers, and they What this points to, however, is Rosicrucianism

numbered some high-profile thinkers leading to secret societies rather than starting out

such as the English philosopher and as one. For while the story of Rosenkreuz makes

scientist Francis Bacon (who some claims of a brotherhood that met behind closed

argue may also have been behind the doors and remained hidden from society, it is more

manifestos of 1614 and 1615). Anyone likely that Rosicrucianism formed in the early 17th

who took the teachings on board would century and that it did so very much out in the

feel special and part of a select elite by the open, given that published work of that nature was

fact that they were hooking into something difficult to keep under wraps.

daRenodlsaeb-Frcerraaondssc. -EbmnaagncrqoaunvenintegwrifietrhobmylaLmLeebos,Tmwayixnsiteleres “Rosicrucianism shed light on an ancient world
order, blending science, arts and mysticism”

Images source: Getty, Wiki, Alamy

TCCRRhrhiouegrschifesiitsntr:,iskaAwtrnpeshRyuaicmgzohe,sbwefooinhfrlksiotctrhmerteuoemFplzda)roemossftaeFanFagtrtarhaetiteeoerrnwCnao.iRtsfa.Cfti(ihcastrkRiioasotnsiaaalne Johannes Valentinus Andreae,
the German theologian
who claimed authorship of
The Chymical Wedding of
Christian Rosenkreuz

117

Alchemy and chemistry in an age of transition

Alchemy and
chemistry
in an age of

transition

The alchemists were obsessed with transmuting base metals into
gold. Though they failed, their investigations helped give birth to

modern chemistry

Written by Marc DeSantis

A lchemy in late Medieval Europe transmutation of base metals to gold to modern A sketch of Robert Boyle’s
brought with it many risks. The chemistry in the 17th century was not a smooth air pump, with which he
Roman Catholic Church was deeply one. This was a hybrid period in the development experimented with air
opposed to its practice, being highly of chemistry, one in which practitioners adhering
suspicious of its ancient connections to older alchemical precepts lived and worked
to pagan practices and magic. Bodily immortality under the same sky as those observing new,
granted by potions such as the fabled ‘elixir of life’ experiment-based principles.
had no place in a religious environment in which
eternal life could be obtained only through the Some figures who loom large in the history
Christian sacraments. So noxious was alchemy of science, such as Robert Boyle, or that paragon
during this time that both political and religious of rationality, Isaac Newton, actually straddled
figures forbade its practice, and the Italian poet the divide between two kinds of chemistry. The
Dante Alighieri confidently stuck alchemists in Hell discipline was not unique in this regard. The
in the Divine Comedy. preeminent astronomers Johannes Kepler and
Galileo Galilei both also devised astrological
Late Medieval alchemy also suffered from its horoscopes, for example. Chemistry would at last
continued lack of success in transforming lead find its recognisable, modern shape in the early
into gold, one of its most prominent endeavours. eighteenth century, particularly in the person of
Doubt as to the possibility of transmutation thus the French chemist Antoine Lavoisier.
increased, though some alchemists continued
doggedly in their quest. ROBERT BOYLE

The transition from alchemy, with its obsessions Robert Boyle (1627-1691) came from prosperous
with the four elements as propounded by stock, being a scion of a landholding English
Aristotle, the search for the elixir of life, and the family in Ireland that had colonised the island in

118

Alchemy and chemistry in an age of transition

Antoine Lavoisier shown
with his wife Marie-Anne,
who was also a chemist

Images source: Wiki

119

Alchemy and chemistry in an age of transition

via solution chemistry instead of the traditional the modern form it holds today, Boyle still believed

pyrolysis, in which substances were burned. Fire, that alchemical transmutation might be possible. At

Boyle realised, could not break materials back his death in 1691, he left another scientific giant of

down into their constituent ingredients, and thus the age, Isaac Newton, with a bit of red earth that

pyrolysis could never be a useful analytical tool. Boyle thought might be capable of transforming

Solution chemistry was much more reliable. Boyle mercury into gold.

used acids and alkalis - reagents - that could ISAAC NEWTON: THE LAST OF
actually dissolve substances so that they could be THE MAGICIANS
studied properly.

Boyle himself may be judged one of the first Though Isaac Newton (1642-1727) is today best-

true chemists. He quantified what he did, and known for his ground-breaking achievements

took careful measurements. One of his in physics, he was also an enthusiastic

greatest achievements, concerning investigator of chemical science, filling

air pressure, and today known his notebooks with numerous entries

TamauhlcutehhcEehomnrtgooylfiltseTohahdmaemcaShncoeerRmpeotisibsccteairerlytnCBathiwofyiyacmlyefio,fsrrtom, mdid as Boyle’s Law, holds that the Alchemist on various substances such as
volume of a given mass of Johann Friedrich mercury and antimony. Newton
the 16th century. The vicissitudes of fortune saw air is inversely proportional devoted much time to alchemy,
Boyle’s once-prosperous father tossed into gaol to the pressure applied Böttger was purchasing several alchemical
for corruption. His father was later acquitted of to it. imprisoned until he texts, as well as the requisite
the charges brought against him, subsequently worked out how to apparatus. Alchemy had already
bought more land in Ireland, and again grew rich, Boyle also rejected chemically produce become a looked-down-upon
becoming in time the Earl of Cork. the ancient theories of

Boyle’s scientific career would be boosted by chemical composition porcelain in endeavour, so Newton made
his family’s wealth. He was tutored privately, and that held that matter was 1708 use of unpublished works that
then sent to school at Eton. He could also afford composed of earth, air, fire, passed from one alchemist to another
to travel across Europe, including Italy, where he
familiarized himself with Galileo’s scientific and water. He had no time for either on an informal basis. Newton himself
contributions. Boyle received an honorary
M.D. from Oxford, and also became a Aristotle’s theory of the Four Elements nor made his own handwritten copies of some of the
member of the Royal Society, a prominent
British science association. the Three Principles theory, which saw matter as alchemical works that came into his possession.

Boyle was thus no fringe figure, but a comprised of sulphur, mercury, and salt. Boyle Physics and alchemy differed markedly in their
scientist standing very much in the centre
of scientific learning of the era. He was in was unsatisfied with the prevalent notion that all philosophical approaches. Physics, as practiced by
contact, via letters, with other scientists,
exchanging news of his own discoveries matter was a combination of four elements, but Newton, had no place for ‘spirit’ in the operation
with them and disseminating theirs to wider
audiences. He was also a powerhouse of given the limitations of his day, he had no notion of nature. Every act was purely physical. Alchemy,
chemical inquiry, running his own private
laboratory, overseeing the experiments of as what these might actually be nor how many however, was deeply spiritual in its outlook, seeing
others, and offering funds to yet more to
conduct their own research. His 1661 work, of them there were. And despite his sterling work nature as being suffused by spirit. And unlike
The Sceptical Chymist, did much to establish
chemistry as being something that stood shepherding chemistry into matter as it was described in physics, which was
apart from earlier alchemy, it being based
squarely on experimentation, and not old- lifeless, alchemy saw matter as being filled with
fashioned appeals to authority.
active principles that were the prime causes of
Among Boyle’s achievements was his
pioneering work on analytical chemistry, in natural phenomena.
which he enthusiastically performed analysis
Newton was no dabbler in the pseudoscience

of alchemy, despite his reputation as perhaps the

greatest of all scientists. The time spent on the

subject was extensive. Unlike so many other,

earlier, alchemists, Newton does not seem to

have been motivated by a desire to produce gold.

From his notes, this appears to have been of only

limited interest to him. Instead, his real aim was

the truth. Newton was a searcher, and alchemy

was another avenue of exploration.

Newton was also fascinated by the

Rosicrucians, a 17th century brotherhood

of mystical alchemists. When he passed,

his library was found to contain an

extensive collection of alchemical works,

and prominent among these were books

concerning the Rosicrucians. These

included a copy of the Rosicrucian

DNauveibwdbtpeodrnatcwhtaietsi‘olbanosettrhoofaftmahlecohdmeeamrgnyicsicaienns’t,iIsstaaancd an Manifesto that is replete with Newton’s
own handwritten notes. Further, no fewer
than nine volumes penned by Michael

120

Alchemy and chemistry in an age of transition

Antoine
Lavoisier
conducts an
experiment
with his solar
furnace

17th century
Italian chemist
Angelo Sala
disproved
Aristotle’s Four
Elements theory

Maier, a noted authority on the Rosicrucian Society, to be supported by data derived from verifiable, Angelo Sala Images source: Wiki
were in his library at the time of his death. repeatable experiments.
The chemist Angelo Sala (1576-1637) stood
The extent of Newton’s involvement in The spirit of the new age was exemplified by apart from the mass of his fellow Italians on
alchemical research would remain obscured for the Frenchman Antoine Lavoisier (1743-1794). His account of his Calvinist Protestant religion. Like
centuries after his death. In the 1930s, Newton’s interest in chemistry was kindled while he was Boyle and Newton, he straddled the dividing
papers appeared on the auction block, and still in law school. Though he would pass the bar line between alchemist and chemist, being a
some were purchased by the famed economist examination, his heart would belong to chemistry. believer in the theory of Three Principles. One
John Maynard Keynes. From these and others Lavoisier, who had by then already contributed of his greatest contributions was proving that
of Newton’s papers that he collected, Keynes research into better street lighting, became a substances retained their identities even after
discovered a side of Newton scarcely known to member of France’s Academy of Science when he they had been combined with others. This
history. Keynes concluded that “Newton was not was just 21 years old. theory was by no means new, but it ran contrary
the first of the age of reason. He was the last of to Aristotle, who believed that substances’
the magicians, the last of the Babylonians and Lavoisier would go on to make many other individual identities were destroyed utterly
Sumerians, the last great mind which looked out on contributions to chemistry. He demonstrated by when they reacted with one another,
the visible world with the same eyes as those who experiment that, contrary to hoary alchemical leaving behind no traces of the original
began to build our intellectual inheritance rather belief, water did not transmute into earth when combining materials.
less than 10,000 years ago.” heated for a long duration. This experiment worked
to establish the principle of mass conservation, one Sala thought otherwise, and sought the
CHEMISTRY IN THE AGE of chemistry’s bedrock tenets. truth. In 1617, in his The Anatomy of Vitriol,
OF REASON he informed the world of an experiment he
In 1775, Lavoisier identified oxygen, a unique had conducted concerning chemical structure.
The 18th century would see the emergence of gas that was especially supportive of combustion, First, he dissolved a known weight of copper
modern approaches to science. Discoveries were more so that ordinary air. On the basis of the new- in heated sulphuric acid. He then added water,
shared freely by scientists with their peers, not kept found oxygen, he would also do away with another resulting in ‘blue vitriol’ – copper sulphate
secret, and scientific societies were founded with outmoded alchemical theory, that of the oily, fire- hydrate. Next Sala converted the substance to
government support across Europe. starting substance phlogiston. Lavoisier would copper oxide, then reduced it back into copper.
also establish the chemical elements as those Upon weighing the copper, it matched the
The ‘Chemical Revolution’ transformed the substances that could not be reduced to simpler amount he had started the experiment with.
discipline of chemistry in the 18th century. In a substances by chemical means. Chemicals were The copper had not been lost at all, but kept
sharp break with the past, chemistry would now either elements or compounds of elements. its identity even after combination, and this
be characterised by precision in measurements was proven by its complete recovery. Sala had
and rigidly logical theory. One of the Revolution’s He also helped name chemicals, thereby thereby shown that Aristotle’s age-old Four
foremost, and earliest, advances was to identify originating the systematic nomenclature used Elements theory was incorrect.
different chemicals as distinct materials with their today in modern chemistry. By Lavoisier’s death at
own unique properties. Speculation would have the age of 51 in 1794, chemistry had acquired the Sala’s also demonstrated that his self-made
contours that it still holds today. blue vitriol was identical with that of naturally-
occurring blue vitriol. This crushed the entire
theory of the transmutation. Traditional
alchemical thought had held that minerals were
living things, with souls, that grew in the earth.
Sala could make synthetic blue vitriol with a run-
of-the-mill chemical reaction, thereby proving
that it was not a living thing, and that the
ancient belief in transmutation was invalid.

121

The death of alchemy

aThlecdheaethmofy
It is never easy to admit a deception: what lengths would
James Price go to in order to conceal the truth?

Written by Willow Winsham

It is believed by some that James Price, L ondon-born James Higginbotham Royal Society members, lead by President Joseph
aware he was about to be exposed as became the man known to history Banks, declared that they would need to witness
a fraud, committed suicide to avoid as James Price, the name change the experiment with their own eyes before they
dishonour and embarrassment prompted by a bequest in the will of a could support him. Although reluctant to agree,
relative. Graduating from Oxford with Price’s excuses were ignored, and he finally, albeit
Distilled from the leaves of the cherry laurel, laurel an MA and a medical degree at a young age, Price grudgingly, acquiesced, retreating to his laboratory
water contains hydrocyanic, or prussic, acid: the was elected to the Royal Society in 1781 at the age in Stoke, Surrey, at the start of 1783 to prepare the
effect of consuming it is fatal of just 29. required powders.

The brilliantly minded alchemist and chemist 3 August was the date set for this important
believed he could transmute base metals into demonstration. Despite variations in the tale,
precious ones, and, exhilarated by his initial only three Society members turned up to see
apparent success, Price carried out a series of public what should have been Price’s great moment
experiments in May 1782. Before a rapt audience of vindication. Instead, Price greeted the men
he mixed borax, charcoal and nitre before adding cordially before events took a turn no one could
mercury and heating the result in a crucible. The have predicted.
special additional ingredients, however, were the
key: two powders – one red and one white – that Price took a long swig from a concealed flask,
Price had formulated himself. Red produced gold and just a few moments later he crashed to the
and white created silver. floor. He died shortly after, having ingested laurel
water, the prussic acid it contained killing him
Price performed seven experiments in total. almost instantly.
The final one, taking place on 25 May 1782, was
witnessed by Lords Onslow, King and Palmerstone, Rumours were quick to formulate. While suicide
with some of the gold produced sent to King was the most plausible explanation for Price’s
George III himself. untimely death, there have been suggestions that
the three men helped Price fake his own death,
A pamphlet written to record Price’s urged him to take his own life, or, most extremely,
extraordinary results, An Account of some might have been responsible for his murder.
Experiments on Mercury, Silver and Gold, was
hugely successful. However, not everyone was Price’s legacy was the downfall of alchemy on
convinced Price’s claims were as they seemed. English shores: the Royal Society never again
permitted investigation into alchemical claims.

122

The death of alchemy

The late-17th-century Hermetic Androgyne Images source: Getty, Wiki
depicts the volatile Mercury as a dragon, a

recognisable symbol for transmutation

123

Cast into the flames

Cast into
the flames

Mary Anne Atwood was greatly influential in the area of spiritual
alchemy, but her important work was nearly lost for ever

Written by Willow Winsham

The concern of spiritual alchemy is
the liberation of the spiritual self,
which is trapped within by fears
and harmful personal beliefs

© Wiki

124

Cast into the flames

© Wiki

Mary and Alban Thomas Atwood had one
son, Robert Atwood. Alban died in 1883,
with Mary outliving him by 27 years

M ary Anne South was born in Mary and her father
1817 in France, but she did not Thomas South were
remain long in the land of her the inspiration behind
birth; Mary’s early years were Lindsay Clarke’s 1989
spent in Gosport, Hampshire. alchemical-themed novel,
Although most often remembered by her The Chymical Wedding
married name, Mary’s main contributions to
alchemical writings in fact took place before her © Wiki mean the end of her intellectual endeavours. Her
marriage. She had a very close relationship with her correspondence with several leading Theosophists
father Thomas South, a researcher of spirituality in by Thomas South himself and burned along for the remaining years of her life highlights again
with an interest in the hermetic arts, and it was this with his incomplete poem. Having read it too late, the strength of the ideas she held.
bond that inspired Mary’s interest in and work on Mary’s work, he said, gave away too many secrets.
alchemy, with the pair often working together. Although ostensibly agreeing with her father, later Mary died on 13 April 1910, passing after
sources suggest Mary was understandably not in breathing her memorable final words: “I cannot
Her lack of a formal education did not set Mary favour of the almost wholesale destruction of her find my centre of gravity.” She was laid to rest at
back, and she was known for her proficiency in work, the incident leaving her devastated. Leake Church in Yorkshire. A Suggestive Inquiry
both Greek and Latin. Considered an intellectual was republished in 1918, and it has been referred
equal by her father, it was this very fact that led to In 1859, Mary married Alban Thomas Atwood, to as one of the main influences on the theories of
perhaps the greatest tragedy of Mary’s life. Father an Anglican reverend from a parish near Thirsk in spiritual interpretation within alchemy.
and daughter endeavoured to bring together the North Yorkshire, where she remained for the rest
body of hermetic wisdom into one single work. of her days. Although Mary produced no further
Thomas South would write his section in verse, texts after A Suggestive Inquiry, this did not
while Mary’s would be prose, promulgating the
theory that the aim of alchemy was the goal of “Not long after publication, the majority of Images source: Wiki
spiritual perfection. Completing her work before copies were taken in by her father and
her father, Mary was given his permission to print
it without his having read it first. Printed in 1850, burned along with his incomplete poem”
the work, A Suggestive Inquiry into the Hermetic
Mystery, was tragically short-lived. Not long after
publication, the majority of copies were taken

125

AE Waite: Mystic, magician, alchemist © Wiki

Today, Waite is
seen as a mystic
who wrote and
translated a broad
spectrum of arcane
topics, including
one of the most vital
books on tarot

Images source: Wiki “It may come as no
surprise that many well-
The Rider- known names in esoteric
Waite Tarot is
striking in that circles had a fraught
it allegorically relationship with Waite”
illustrated even
the Minor Arcana
cards, along
with the Majors,
following the
Sola-Busca deck

126

AE Waite: Mystic, magician, alchemist

AE Waite:
Mystic, magician,

alchemist
The titles given to the man are many, yet the creation of the
Rider-Waite tarot is his most enduring legacy to this day

Written by Dee Dee Chainey

A rthur Edward Waite is one of the grand library. He joined the Outer Order of the © Wiki rwHWaeatahrsimetaere’wstsh,ataCryanhnoaafsplcmatoeteniroanXnneXsocIttfIoi,wnsmgohrwaokgwisitcshlaihktlheipseToawdhpeipevrBrionoaeockhof
most prominent figures in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in 1891 in an
Western Esoteric tradition. Born in initiation ceremony at the home of its founder,
New York in 1857, Waite’s early life Samuel Mathers. His relationship with other
was turbulent. The family faced great members would prove volatile, and he left two
hardship when his father, Captain Charles F Waite, years later only to return in 1896, advancing to the
a merchant marine, died at sea while his mother, second order in 1899.
Emma Lovell, the daughter of a rich trader, was
pregnant. She chose to return to England, taking Waite’s influence grew as he became a
Arthur and his infant sister with her. The boy spent Freemason in 1901, then joined the Societas
his early years studying at a private school in the Rosicruciana in Anglia soon after. Rife with
north of London and moved to St Charles’ College disagreements, the future of the Golden Dawn
in his teenage years. became increasingly uncertain, and many offshoots
began to emerge. Its decline was imminent.
On leaving school he became a clerk, dedicating
much of his time to writing and acting as editor on A year after leaving the order, Waite formed the
the magazine The Unknown World. While brought Fellowship of the Rosy Cross in 1915. It may come
up a Roman Catholic, Waite’s interest in the esoteric as no surprise that many well-known names in
arts grew as he matured, particularly after the esoteric circles had a fraught relationship with
death of his sister, Frederika, a loss he had to face Waite, including Aleister Crowley. However, he did
at just 17. have friends, including author Arthur Machen.

In his late twenties, Waite married Ada Lakeman, Waite wrote a myriad of books on the occult,
who was often known as Lucasta. Yet the Fates from divination to ceremonial magic and alchemy.
didn’t smile upon the union, and just a few years The peak of his fame came with the act of
later tragedy hit the family. Lucasta died in 1924, co-creating the Rider-Waite Tarot, released in 1909
leaving Waite alone, the sole caregiver to their only and famously illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith.
daughter, Sybil. After his first wife’s death, Waite The accompanying text, Key to the Tarot, was later
went on to remarry, this time to a lady by the name reworked and entitled Pictorial Key to the Tarot.
of Mary Broadbent Schofield.
Waite authored many books, a number of which
Waite had unearthed the wisdom of Eliphas Levi – including the Book of Ceremonial Magic – remain
while poring over texts in the British Museum’s in print and are still used by followers of the
esoteric arts today.

127

Fulcanelli: The mysterious alchemist

The frontispiece of Fulcanelli’s
most important work, Mystère des
Cathédrales, with an introduction
by his assistant, Canseliet, and
illustrated by Julien Champagne

128

oa‘fEn‘Fff‘loViA’urr–ueblcG,tlrchaawoanhednieatC’hl–,mlaRiten’ihociiatesmhapasneraaorminctp‘erEighexnloeditdajtua,fmrhioore’fere, Fulcanelli

Fulcanelli

While little is known about the
mysterious esoteric author, either a man
or legend, the craze for this modern-day
alchemist has become a cultural phenomenon

Written by Dee Dee Chainey

L ike so many legendary historical figures, occultists, to a member of the former French royal
Fulcanelli’s real identity is shrouded in family, to the Count of Saint-Germain – an 18th
mystery. It is likely that he was French, century alchemist also thought to have gained
and some claim he was born in the immortality. Some suggest that Canseliet may have

first half of the 19th century, in 1839. been the man himself, or even his illustrator, Jean-

His works can unquestionably be attributed to Julien Hubert Champagne, himself an occultist.

someone well versed in alchemy. His Others suggest that Fulcanelli is the pen

most elaborate claim to success name of a collective: the Frères

is that his assistant, Eugène d’Heliopolis, including Canseliet,

Canseliet, transformed lead Fulcanelli is Champagne, and either the

coCuahnldismSeionlsimeeflbatef,ce. aptWuehmnioalcoplvostleevht beedbereeteevrldniuoe?ttfFhetudhelcavpateunrpeilll, i into gold in the presence alleged to have occultist and Freemason, Jules
of witnesses, attaining the appeared in Paris Boucher, or Pierre Dujols, a
alchemist’s dream. Fulcanelli in 1937 to warn an librarian from Paris.
is said to have disappeared acquaintance about the
in the 1920s after imparting dangers of nuclear His two existing books
his knowledge to his – published after his
disappearance in the 1920s –

assistants. Some say he weaponry were Le Mystère des Cathédrales,

survived World War II, only to and Les Demeures Philosophales.

disappear Both attempt to uncover the

after the alchemical symbolism of important

Liberation of Paris in monuments like Notre-Dame Cathedral,

1944. Canseliet claimed and comment on the scientific and alchemical

that his master appeared to knowledge of the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

him a final time in Seville Arcane and full of Greek and Latin puns, it is

in 1953, asking, “Do you obvious that the books intended to exclude anyone

recognise me?” He reports without a firm grounding in alchemy. They were

in his writings that the man initially published in a small print run of 300, yet

appeared 20 years younger the works gained popularity after their reprinting

than the last time he’d seen in the 1950s and 60s. Soon, the craze around the

him, yet would have been over mysterious disappearing alchemist began. Notes

100 at this stage, meaning he for a third book were rumoured, Finis Gloriae

was thought to have finally Mundi – entrusted, once more, to Canseliet;

discovered the secret apparently Fulcanelli decided that the time was Images source: Getty, Wiki

of immortality. never right for publication. Another title of the

Many theories unveiling same name, published by Jean-Marc Savary in

his true face have been put 1999, and signed ‘Fulcanelli’, was widely believed

forward: from an array of French to be a counterfeit.

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HISTORY OF

From the mysteries of the ancients to the science of today

9021

HOW IT BEGAN KEY PRACTITIONERS

How the Western alchemical tradition began in the From legendary wizards to scientific greats, discover
cultural melting pot of 3rd-century Egypt the men and women who practised alchemy

THE START OF SCIENCE BIZARRE MYSTERIES

How alchemy’s strange theories and practices Could alchemists really create gold and
laid the foundation for modern-day science cheat death as they claimed?

9000